Impact of COVID-19 to Technology and delayed MDR

Technology might be one of the areas that are under the impact, but not directly impacted by COVID-19.

Even though many QMS software is now cloud-based, most medical device startups are not prepared for a complete switch from in-office presence to remote work.

It is
important to ensure that the following are available to all employees:

hardware (laptops, monitors, and peripherals)

access points (licenses, seats, and VPN connections)

support (user guides, FAQ, and troubleshooting guides)

Video
conferencing capabilities should be available for all employees. It aims to
support continued team connection and business continuity, as well as real-time
interactive communication to aid in the remote work transition.

Now, more than
ever, medical device companies are thinking about moving to cloud-based systems
and applications, but we know this is a longer-term investment. Companies
employ very intense network monitoring programs and testing procedures to try
to improve connectivity issues.

With a heavy reliance upon remote access and a
distributed workforce, information security practices and protocols are now
being tested more than ever.

It will be surprisingly easy for staff, especially those new ones who are starting to work remotely, to download and store sensitive information on relatively insecure home networks and devices. Therefore, it is very significant to continue to stress information security policies and procedures for employees during this time.

Business continuity plans must be put in place on how to operate when systems are down. If they aren’t already. Disaster recovery plans and redundant systems should be tested to guarantee they are working correctly. Continuity and emergency plans may soon be tested as different countries, states, and cities enact quarantines or other restrictions on the free movement of people.

In addition to the impact that the coronavirus has on
technology, it also influences the placing into force new laws that are
inevitably delayed in this case.

Such as New MDR 2020 – As COVID-19 continues to intrude Europe and pull medical device companies in different directions, European Commission announced that the commission will propose to delay the implementation of the Medical Devices Regulation (MDR) by one year.

Join the discussion

I think that the COVID-19 situation can be used to demonstrate that a lot of business can be moved to coziness of employees home if company’s are using right platforms. We are using such. It’s a task management system with integrated chat. We can continue our work and to be in touch with the rest of the team. Honestly, I can continue like this after the situation would be over.